Note: Each speaker's name is linked to a short extract from their spoken remarks on YouTube.

PENFIELD, N.Y. – Today, Senator Ted O’Brien stood with women’s and health care advocates, including the non-profits Made the Same Inc., the Western New York Ovarian Cancer Project and Gilda’s Club of Rochester, to discuss the serious health risk posed to women by ovarian cancer during its National Awareness Month.

Ovarian cancer is highly treatable if caught early, but current screening methods are unreliable and early symptoms are so minor that they are often dismissed by doctors. The disease will affect roughly 1 in 70 women in their lifetimes.

“I am proud to stand alongside these tremendous advocates to inform our community about the serious threat to women’s health presented by ovarian cancer,” O’Brien said. “It’s vital that we empower women to know everything they can about this insidious disease so that they can treat it early and continue to live productive, healthy lives.”

“The greatest form of cancer detection is education,” said Bob Russell of Gilda’s Club Rochester. “Through awareness, we are hopeful that more women will have an understanding of how to recognize the early warning signs so as to seek treatment as early as possible.”

“The earlier a woman is diagnosed with ovarian cancer, the better are her chances for survival,” said Kathleen Maxian, co-founder of the Western New York Ovarian Cancer Project. “Sadly, more than half of women diagnosed are already in the late stages because they don’t recognize symptoms. Our advocacy, education and support programs are helping to change those grim statistics.”

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Sen. O’Brien represents the 55th district in the Senate, which is made up of the eastern half of Monroe County and the western half of Ontario County, including much of the city of Rochester.